Ronald Belisario Gets His Visa, But Is He Worth The Trouble?

Much maligned reliever Ronald Belisario has been granted a visa and will be with the Dodgers for Spring TrainingreportsDylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

Reliever Ronald Belisario, who missed last season because he was unable to gain entry into the United States, has been granted a visa and is expected to be in camp for the start of spring training, according to his agent.

“He should be ready to go,” said Rick Oliver, who represents Belisario.

People are understandably skeptical about him being with the Dodgers until he’s actually at Spring Training, but there seems to be little doubt about his potential contribution to the team.

But why?

He was horrid in 2010, posting a 5.04 ERA and 4.31 FIP, clocking in below replacement level. One could argue that the year was derailed by his off-the-field problems, and I think it’s a fair argument, but there’s nothing in his past that would indicate he’ll stay out of trouble in the future. Plus, there are reasonable questions about his conditioning, health, refinement…and just about everything else.

Furthermore, even during the season that made him relevant to Dodgers fans (2009), he was never that ~2.00 ERA shutdown reliever he showed. Reality is that he was much more of a ~3.50 ERA type that was a solid addition to the bullpen and relied on a touch of luck to carry him to an elite reputation.

Belisario being around doesn’t hurt the Dodgers, but I’m hardly excited about the possibility of his return. In fact, the main reason I’m happy about this news is that it gives me hope that Ned Colletti won’t give a three year deal to reliever over 30.